The 11 Best Places to Eat Near Grand Central Terminal Right Now

Grand Central Terminal beautifully meshes architectural splendor, commuter chaos, and historic, diverse restaurants -- perfect for catching up after you pick up a passenger, knocking a few back with colleagues, or impressing a date fresh in from Connecticut. The terminal and surrounding area is ready with Danish pastries for breakfast, spicy hand-pulled noodles for lunch, and that necessary happy hour cocktail after you clock out -- with some spots worth traveling for even if you don’t have a Metro-North train or subway to catch anytime soon.

Grand Central, lower level
This legendary haunt has been serving its seafood raw bar and accompanying cocktails since 1913. The elegant, cavernous restaurant doesn’t have any windows, meaning any hour is happy hour if you’re ready to treat yourself after a long day (or morning). So here’s the pro tip: On Monday through Wednesday, from 4:30pm to 7pm, stop in for $1.35 raw oysters, $6.25 beers, and $9 martinis -- along with other hot seafood snacks, like chowder, for under $10.

East 45th and Vanderbilt Avenue
This food hall swarms with commuters in the morning and packs a steady crowd of finance-types during lunchtime. The lines move fast and the options are bountiful: There are sushi burritos from Hai Street Kitchen, fried chicken sandwiches from Delaney Chicken, and takeaway cups of ramen from Kuro-Obi by Ippudo. Make sure to check out the wood-fired pizzas at Roberta’s.

485 Fifth Avenue
Visit this dim-lit, stylish restaurant close to Grand Central, tucked inside the Andaz Fifth Avenue Hotel, when guests are out at Broadway shows or on business dinners so you can enjoy the romantic ambiance sans tourists. The menu, split into small and large plates (both shareable), is New American and semi-local, with dishes like Murray’s burrata with yuzu jam, chicken schnitzel with Hudson Valley greens, and pasta in slow-cooked meat sauce.

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24 West 45th Street
This tiny outpost of the western Chinese hand-pulled noodle chain is close to Grand Central and is your best bet for quick, but still authentic, takeout. But be warned: Xi’an cautions patrons that the noodles grow “bloated, mushy, and oily” when they sit too long. So take advantage of the small seating area in the back of the narrow restaurant to slurp your liang pi cold skin noodles or spicy cumin lamb noodles in broth. If it’s just too crowded, hit Udon West at 150 East 46th Street.

125 East 39th Street
The sibling to upscale vegan restaurant Kajitsu, this meat-friendly neighbor is a nice respite from Grand Central’s mayhem. In addition to known entities like hot and cold soba noodles, carnivorous commuters can order comfort food staples such as chicken meatballs and deep-fried chicken wings. For more luxurious options, check out the tuna or wagyu beef donburi.

207 East 43rd Street
Once a tiny seafood shack in the East Village, Luke’s brings Downtown authenticity to homogenous Midtown. The location near Grand Central is appointed with an expansive outdoor dining area where you will enjoy the signature lobster, crab, and shrimp rolls as well as lobster-topped salads, seafood chowders, and wine and beer.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Best for the same great burgers but without the hassle of Grand Central: Shake Shack

600 Third Avenue
The TKTS booth in Times Square. Looking for your ticket on the floor of Katz’s Deli. The line at the Shake Shack in the basement of Grand Central. They all scream avoid whenever possible. So when you have guests who just arrived in town, skip the line at the Grand Central Shake Shack and steal them away to the Third Avenue location, where you can get your SmokeShacks, Shack Stacks and crinkle-cut fries real fast -- and look like you got away with something.

447 Lexington Avenue
The fresh pasta at Davio’s is also available gluten-free -- so when your newly clean-eating friends pull in on the train from Beacon, New York, you’ll get points for attending to their dietary restrictions. The beige decor won’t be a staple of the night’s social media, but the red sauce offerings rival those found in Little Italy. The pasta is served in fresh tomato sauce, tangled with clams in a generous portion of butter sauce, or shaped into agnolotti stuffed with braised veal.

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26 East 40th Street
A three-minute walk from the depths of Grand Central awaits grilled, roasted, and pulled chicken served in bowls or salads with your choice of toppings like guac, bacon, and shredded cheese. Juicy roast chicken is also available by the piece, served with a range of sauces and healthy-ish sides like sweet pea hummus and Mexican-style corn.

15 Vanderbilt Avenue
This Jazz Age throwback recently changed hands and underwent renovations, but its ambiance emerged unscathed and more inclusive than ever. Hospitality behemoth Gerber Group dropped the dress code and even installed signage at the formerly semi-secret hideaway. Prohibition cosplayers can still play speakeasy over classic cocktails like the $25 John Campbell’s Martini, named for the railroad tycoon whose ornate office set a dizzyingly high bar for Grand Central destinations.

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This Glittery Pink Milkshake From Shake Shack Is Benefitting a Good Cause

If you're one of the... um... mostly everyone who thinks Valentine's Day is a little ridiculous, Shake Shack is offering a way to indulge while doing something positive for some good dogs.

Inspired by The B-52s classic "Love Shack," the band and the food shack are releasing the Love Shack Shake. Yes, "Love Shack" inspired the Love Shack Shake at Shake Shack, which may convince you to see if they would sell a side of seashells by the seashore.

The drink is a strawberry blonde milkshake topped with whipped cream and glitter. It will be available From February 9-18 at Shake Shacks in New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

David VonDerLinn

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8 Cultural Activities To Class Up Your LA Weekend

Sure, it’s great to spend your weekends watching Marvel movies and DVRing Vanderpump Rules on the DL. But sometimes, you want to do something a little more refined. A little more elegant. Perhaps, you’d like to partake in an activity with a little... culture.

If the last “art” exhibit you liked was a beauty influencer's Instagram, it might be time to break out of your routine and tour some of the cultural highlights of Southern California. Luckily, Los Angeles is surrounded by lovely locales that offer the chance to experience fine art, dance, film, and history, all while taking a break from the city. So, plan a weekend day away and visit one of these cultural gems just outside of LA.

Salt Bae’s NYC Restaurant Just Got Called Out for Possibly Violating Health Laws

Salt Bae's New York City restaurant is open for business, serving up, or at least promoting, bizarre steakhouse fare like huge cuts of beef stuffed with American cheese and raw asparagus. Led by the inimitable meme-man himself, the Nusr-et Steakhouse is all about the live experience and showmanship of the Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe.

But the Benihana-style theatrics of the place might lead it directly to an NYC health code violation, as Eater reports. Salt Bae's penchant for garnishing plates with a healthy portion of salt sprinkle, and doing so with his bare hands, is likely in violation of article 81 of the New York City Health Code. Under the law, any contact with food that's "ready to eat" must be done while wearing gloves. And being that the Salt Bae thrives on raw, physical connection with beef, his bare hands might get the restaurant into trouble.

As is his wont to appear at tables and administer his signature salt smattering, Salt Bae could very well be violating the health code while performing his signature shtick.